Abandoned as a baby, lost vision at 10: Mala Papalkar’s journey to clearing MPSC exam is that of sheer determination

“I am a little nervous about leaving the ashram and living on my own in Nagpur. I have stayed alone before in a hostel, but this time it feels different. I will really miss everyone, especially Shankar Baba,” Mala told The Indian Express.

Taking one step at a time

Over two decades ago, Mala was found abandoned at the Jalgaon Railway Station. After being placed in a remand home, she was sent into the care of Shankar Baba Papalkar, a Padma Shri awardee and social worker from Amravati, and his ashram in Wazzar became the foundation of her dreams.

After Mala was placed with Shankar Baba by the Department of Women and Child Development, her government documents were made stating that she is the daughter of the social worker. Mala was 10 when she came to the ashram, and she found that she was blind — she has only 5 per cent functional vision — and physically weak.

She studied at Swami Vivekanand Blind School and then attended Bhiwapurkar Blind School in Amravati before pursuing a Bachelor’s degree at Vidarbha Mahavidyalaya. A Good Samaritan, Prakash Tople Patil, paid for her college and the associated fees.

While speaking to The Indian Express, Baba said Mala scored 60 per cent in Class 10, and she scored 65 per cent in college. “I understood that competitive exams could pave the way for her rehabilitation,” he added.

She has also received a merit position in Braille script for 10 years.

Beating all odds

Mala attended Amol Patil’s Unique Academy, an institute which helps aspirants prepare for competitive exams, in 2019, but due to the pandemic, she was forced to study online.

“Mala is sharp, but there are numerous challenges that the blind students face. I couldn’t simply ask her to read from a textbook. I had to find audiobooks for Mala, or sometimes even record the lessons myself so she could listen and learn,” said Patil.

Patil, who said Mala is a keen observer, did not charge her fee, and ensured he was available to solve her doubts even on the phone.

He said Mala cleared the MPSC Mains in 2024, but the final result was declared last week after the candidates went through a skill test.

“Mala is attached to me so much now that she has already announced that she will take care of me in the future,” said Shankar Baba.

Shankar Baba also talked about Gandhari, another blind and disabled girl whom the police found on the banks of the Chandrabhaga River in Pandharpur. Gandhari is now a music therapist at a hospital in Achalpur, Maharashtra.